Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many little things. The big one was when we started wanting to make sure we were enjoying our money vs just saving it. Dh went for his dream car and we paid cash easily. Just pulled it from checking. No big emergency could derail our lives. We need a 12k roof? Okay. New hvac? Sure- let’s get the energy efficient one, not necessarily the cheapest.

People who have a “dream car” are pathetic. Sorry.

PP here to clarify- he was going to get a cheaper car because he didn't think he should get the car he wanted. I told him why not? And no, it's not a muscle car, but it is a fun car. Sorry you weren't interested in any car you ever bought. I only have an Odyssey, but I love everything about it. It's definitely my dream car.

Anonymous wrote:So many little things. The big one was when we started wanting to make sure we were enjoying our money vs just saving it. Dh went for his dream car and we paid cash easily. Just pulled it from checking. No big emergency could derail our lives. We need a 12k roof? Okay. New hvac? Sure- let’s get the energy efficient one, not necessarily the cheapest.

OT, but where did you get a $12k roof? Every estimate we've had has been for over $45k

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many little things. The big one was when we started wanting to make sure we were enjoying our money vs just saving it. Dh went for his dream car and we paid cash easily. Just pulled it from checking. No big emergency could derail our lives. We need a 12k roof? Okay. New hvac? Sure- let’s get the energy efficient one, not necessarily the cheapest.

People who have a “dream car” are pathetic. Sorry.

Huh? How is a dream car any different than your ambitions? If that's what brings him joy, let him go for it. Please tell us what your 'non-pathetic' dreams are..

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many little things. The big one was when we started wanting to make sure we were enjoying our money vs just saving it. Dh went for his dream car and we paid cash easily. Just pulled it from checking. No big emergency could derail our lives. We need a 12k roof? Okay. New hvac? Sure- let’s get the energy efficient one, not necessarily the cheapest.

People who have a “dream car” are pathetic. Sorry.

Some people love high-end cars. A Tesla Roadster perhaps.

I think PP's DH is more of a mustang or a charger guy

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many little things. The big one was when we started wanting to make sure we were enjoying our money vs just saving it. Dh went for his dream car and we paid cash easily. Just pulled it from checking. No big emergency could derail our lives. We need a 12k roof? Okay. New hvac? Sure- let’s get the energy efficient one, not necessarily the cheapest.

People who have a “dream car” are pathetic. Sorry.

Some people love high-end cars. A Tesla Roadster perhaps.

I knew it when my husbands company was sold and money for his shares was wired into our checking account and my husband went to the ATM machine and then brought home the account balance receipt. I remember looking at it and thinking how lucky we were.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many little things. The big one was when we started wanting to make sure we were enjoying our money vs just saving it. Dh went for his dream car and we paid cash easily. Just pulled it from checking. No big emergency could derail our lives. We need a 12k roof? Okay. New hvac? Sure- let’s get the energy efficient one, not necessarily the cheapest.

People who have a “dream car” are pathetic. Sorry.

You sound like a lovely person

Anonymous wrote:So many little things. The big one was when we started wanting to make sure we were enjoying our money vs just saving it. Dh went for his dream car and we paid cash easily. Just pulled it from checking. No big emergency could derail our lives. We need a 12k roof? Okay. New hvac? Sure- let’s get the energy efficient one, not necessarily the cheapest.

People who have a “dream car” are pathetic. Sorry.

Anonymous wrote:So many little things. The big one was when we started wanting to make sure we were enjoying our money vs just saving it. Dh went for his dream car and we paid cash easily. Just pulled it from checking. No big emergency could derail our lives. We need a 12k roof? Okay. New hvac? Sure- let’s get the energy efficient one, not necessarily the cheapest.

What was his dream car?

So many little things. The big one was when we started wanting to make sure we were enjoying our money vs just saving it. Dh went for his dream car and we paid cash easily. Just pulled it from checking. No big emergency could derail our lives. We need a 12k roof? Okay. New hvac? Sure- let’s get the energy efficient one, not necessarily the cheapest.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you including retirement funds in net worth?

Duh. Who doesn't?

This thread seems to be about being comfortable spending right now so not clear.

I felt pretty good about myself when NW first hit $1m, and I'll feel really good when NW is $2m exclusive of 529 plans and home equity (and not including spouse's accounts). I recently started feeling less anxious that I'm going to run out of money, which is means more to me than feeling like I "have money."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up buying clothing at a thrift store that sold it by the weight and was not able to go on school field trips if I didn’t earn the money first. Making six figures for the first time and being able to just put whatever groceries I wanted into my shopping cart without having to re-total to make sure I had enough money is an indescribable feeling.

The shopping cart thing though. That was my marker I hit in my 20s and I've thought of myself as rich ever since, to be honest. Just being able to buy food I want and not preplan whether I could afford it.

This was phase one - being about to buy what we needed/wanted at the grocery store without even thinking of whether it was on sale or if it met this week's budget. I still try to shop on sale but this is such a great feeling.

Phase 2 was enough in the bank that if they HVAC went out today, that would be annoying but the expense wouldn't derail anything else in our lives. It would just be a cost of owning a home. It's also really nice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you including retirement funds in net worth?

I am the 1.5M nw poster (I actually just checked my accounts and it’s closer to 2M but on this board that’s neither here nor there) and retirement is included in that but not our pensions. I wouldn’t even know how to accurately calculate that.

30k per year to 500k NW. not precise but close enough for an estimate

Anonymous wrote:I grew up buying clothing at a thrift store that sold it by the weight and was not able to go on school field trips if I didn’t earn the money first. Making six figures for the first time and being able to just put whatever groceries I wanted into my shopping cart without having to re-total to make sure I had enough money is an indescribable feeling.

The shopping cart thing though. That was my marker I hit in my 20s and I've thought of myself as rich ever since, to be honest. Just being able to buy food I want and not preplan whether I could afford it.